Tidewater Island Tour, Cedar Key(s)

I learned a lot about the history of Cedar Key on this tour, which I later reinforced with a visit to the Cedar Key State park Museum in town.

The first few pictures I took while waiting for the boat to arrive. These are Brown Pelicans on the pilings.

And Terns on the buoys. 

Swim beach and kayak, SUP rental area. See the large building in the background?

A flock of Black Skimmers were on the roof.

Then they flew over to the roof of the next building. There were a few gulls mixed in there too.

You can see the Crystal River Power Plant from here. It was once a Nuclear Power Plant, but was converted to a coal burning plant after a crack was discovered. I wonder how they disposed of the nuclear material when they did that?

The husband was the skipper while his wife did the narration during the tour. She was very knowledgeable about the science and the history.

Historic Dock Street as seen from the water.

Dock Street was the end of the line for the Atlantic to Gulf Railroad Line in 1884.

Depiction of the RR tracks leading to the island. Cedar Key was an important port for shipping lumber, turpentine and other products.

Railroad Depot on the Shipping Dock. Today Dock Street is a tourist destination lined with shops and restaurants primarily.

A map of the islands we will be visiting and learning about.

The closest island on the left, Atsena Otie Key, is considered the original "Cedar Key." Its original name was "Achena Ota," from the Muscogean language meaning "Cedar Island."

A US Army supply depot and hospital were established here in 1839, during the Second Seminole War, and nearby Seahorse Key was used as a detention center for prisoners. 

In the 1860 census there were 297 residents on the island and Ebarhard Faber Pencil Company brought industry to the town. A lighthouse had been built on Seahorse Key to shine the way for ships of commerce.

Today Atsena Otie is the only barrier island in the refuge that is open to the public. Kayakers and other boaters can beach their boats and walk the trails to see the remains of what was once a thriving community. They can swim, picnic, and even camp on the island.

You can see the remains of the old ship loading docks near what was the pencil factory.

Behind the trailhead sign is a Cedar Tree. Cedar trees were harvested for lumber and for pencils.

Today myriads of birds use the old docks.

An Osprey flies by.

Remnants of the pencil factory can be seen on the beach. The island community was destroyed by the hurricane of 1896, after which most families moved to Way Key, which is now known as Cedar Key.

A variety of terns winter here, including Royal and Forster's Terns. 

Ruddy Turnstones

This wired habitat has been created for the Least Terns which have been declining in number. 

Willets (with the long legs) and Ruddy Turnstones.

And a whole lot of other birds.

Our next Island is Snake Key which was used as a quarantine in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Ships had to stop here and crew members were examined to make sure no one was carrying communicable diseases such as Typhus before the ship was allowed to enter the port. If anyone onboard was sick, the ship was quarantined at Snake Key until they were well.

Seahorse Key is our next destination, but first our guide described the remaining islands.

The small island is called Deadman's Key, but no-one seems to know the origin of that name. 

The largest island is North Key, named because it is the northernmost island in the refuge.

And this peninsula on Cedar Key is called Piney Point. The town's International Airport is located on that peninsula. Yes, occasionally planes land here from other countries. 

Grassy Key, seen in the foreground as a narrow line, is completely covered at high tide.

All of these islands with the exception of Atsena Otie are protected bird nesting areas and wildlife sanctuaries. Boats are not allowed to go closer than these signs.

The University of Florida has a Marine Research Laboratory on Seahorse Key located at the old lighthouse.

Osprey nest...both parents are on the nest.

White pelicans are the true snowbirds...they are winter residents of these islands. The Brown pelicans are here year round.

This peninsula on the north end of Seahorse Key has been a major bird nesting area for years...until 2015. For unknown reasons, thousands of birds abandoned the nests that year and have not returned to this island to nest since. UF scientists and others are studying the problem, but have not been able to pinpoint the cause. Much speculation and many theories have been mentioned...such as noisy helicopters flying overhead during military operations.  They are not overly concerned however, because it appears that the birds are nesting on other nearby islands.

You can see the Cedar Keys Lighthouse on the top of the hill, the highest point along the entire Gulf coast from Texas to Miami. The building has been converted to a dormitory for UF students conducting research on the island. The classrooms and laboratory are at the base of the hill by the boat dock.

It is the second oldest lighthouse on the Florida Gulf coast.

Today, agriculture is the most important industry in Cedar Key, specifically clam farming. Oysters and crabs are also abundant.

I'm guessing tourism is the number 2 industry. An active artist community resides here today, and there are many galleries in town. This is next to the cedar Key Arts Center. There is an Arts festival in town in April.

A community garden...

Mural by the Arts Center.

Just a local resident I passed on my way back to the car.

I stopped on the way home to pick up a bowl of Tony's famous award-winning clam chowder. It was very good, and a little tangy.